Tastes

Today we conclude the Glenfiddich week, with something that might well be the weakest expression of them all so far. On the nose there is some cherry and citrus, and a lot of oak. That oak is the one dominant note in the entire composition. On the taste it is combined with some malty sweetness and vanilla, and it has a short stay on the aftertaste. Rather disappointing. Not quite 2 star level bad, but for my taste even worse than Project XX. So yeah, conclusion, if you want a good Glenfiddich, stick with 15 or 18, unless you want a bit more bitter, then the IPA will serve you well. Stay away from XX and this one...just not bloody worth it.

Another day, another Glenfiddich. I had high hopes for this, because let's be honest here, the name "Project XX" sounds awesome. Unfortunatly, this is my least favorite of the bunch so far. It's not bad, but also not very good, at least not in my opinion. On the nose I get very faint honey, some sharp pepper and zesty citrus notes. This is a pretty accurate representation of what you can expect on the taste. Malty honey, a load of vanilla (this is the primary note for me, and I'm not a big vanilla fan in scotch. When I want vanilla, I drink bourbon), the tart citrus notes with pepper over it. Reminds me of a creme brulee. Certainly not bad, but could use some more spices and fruityness. The vanilla taste is staying quite a while, without being overly sweet. Maybe I'm a bit harsh on this because I had higher expectations, but the 18 blows this out of the water, and even the IPA is more my thing, even though it's more bitter than I usually like. At least it's complex, not something I can say about this vanilla bomb. And for only about 15 bucks difference in price, I'd grab the 18 any day. Cheers.

Today, IPA. Short disclaimer, I do not like beer, any beer, at all. Never did. Usually only in combination with coke or when I'm already drunk. That was why I was a bit unsure about this dram. Thankfully, it actually works. On the nose I get strong malty notes, a large bitter presence that's probably hoppy in origin, and light brown sugar. Interesting and thanks to the balance between bitter and sweet not offputting. The taste is a bit more complex than the nose. Light honey, sweet malty barley notes, mint and basil as primary herbes, the bitterness of the IPA barrels together with peppered dark chocolate. Quite nice really. This is something I'd drink on days where neither really friendly stuff like Dalwhinnie or ballbusters like Ardbeg both are not the right choice. This is somewhere in between. Rather friendly, but doesn't mind a bit of spanking. Stays with a semi sweet, somewhat cooling aftertaste. Not bad, especially at that pricepoint. On a sidenote, today's my Mom's 63rd birthday. I lift my glass to an awesome lady. Cheers guys.

Second Glenfiddich for the week, their 18 year old expression (why do we call them expressions btw?). I can see why this has one of the higher Glenfiddich ratings. And I have to agree with Stephanie Moreno...this is liquid fruitcake. And that's a good thing if you're in the mood for it. On the nose, there are walnuts, caramel, fresh steaming baked apple with cinnamon and honey and a clear and loud vanilla note. Seems the combination of Oloroso and Bourbon barrels worked it's magic here. The taste is very, very similar to the nose. Caramel, honeyed nuts, that amazing roasted cinnamon apple together with vanilla and raisins sprinkled over it. That combination, caramel-apple-cinnamon is what stays with you for quite some time. This is a winter whisky. This is something you drink in front of a chimney fire while thinking about your family. This is good, warming times in liquid form. Glenfiddich continues to impress. Also, 18 year old single malt sub 70€, can't argue with that.

This week I'm doing something different. 5 days, 5 whiskies from the same Distillery: Glenfiddich. Starting with the 15 (because for some reason I have in the back of my mind that I didn't like the 12...). This is a fruit bomb. On the nose you are greated with a base layer of honey, topped by a boatload of apples and pears with a dash of cinnamon. This has to be the fruitiest whisky I smelled so far...fresh, juicy apples, you could swear this is apple juice. And this continues on the taste. Honeyed apples with a hint of chocolate and a suggstion of smoke. All in all, light, fruity, moderatly sweet. This is what Speyside stands for in my opinion. The honeyed apples stay quite a while. This is a relax whisky, and a great baseline for my tasting week. Looking forward to the 18 tomorrow. Cheers.

Finally got around to trying the 100 proof. So far Balcones didn't disappoint me, and this is no exeption. On the nose there is a lot of burnt brown sugar with some vanilla, a dash of spices and candied pineapple. The fruit notes are more intense than they are on the cask strength, but all in all I like the other one better. Taste gives you a load of caramel and toasted brown sugars, decent amount of spice and vanilla with some dark chocolate notes later on, rounded with some pepper. It all ends with a sweet and slightly spicy aftertaste that stays for a medium length of time. All in all, this is a very good corn whisky, but the cask strength is better in my opinion. Now, the price difference between those two is about 25€ (90€ vs 115€), and considering both are horrendously overpriced outside of the states, if you are going to lay down the cash for it, might as well go with the cask strength. Because then you have a great whisky, and also the ability to add a bit of water to get this one here too. Can't go really wrong with either. Cheers.

Long day, many miles on the road, so I'm not really in the mood for a scotch. Today, we got corn. Blue corn. And a very nice ABV of 61.2. My first cask strength if I remember correctly. Let's jump right into it. On the nose there is a dominant note of vanilla, some barrel spices with cinnamon and grilled peaches. Interesting smell, kinda makes you want to dive right into the glas. And you should. You are greeted with a lot of toasted brown sugar, below that some light caramel notes, typical vanilla and cinnamon spicyness, the grilled peaches from the smell make an appearance on the taste too. Rather on the spicy side, although I suspect that might have to do with the proof. But no unpleasent burn. The sweet and spicy aftertaste lingers for quite a while. Not too sweet, not too spicy. Kinda like dark chocolate with chilli. I still have the 100 proof for cross testing. That comes tomorrow. So far, I like what Balcones offers.

Happy New Year Distiller people. Onwards to many more interesting drams! Today I picked something a bit more on the friendly side - had a Lagavulin night and needed some contrast. This one is pretty much on the other end of the spectrum when when it comes to scotch. On the nose you are greeted with a lot of honey, some vanilla and heavy cream notes and a dash of pepper. Actually sounds like an awesome dessert cream...maybe with some shortbread biscuits? Anyway...taste keeps what smell promises. Honey, pepper, vanilla, the usualy malty barley notes and a dash of salt to pull everything together. Very enjoyable, if Dalwhinnie really doesn't get more attention that would be a shame. Because this is a good, friendly highland whisky, with a long, honeyed finish. Perfect for days when you need something sweet.

Well, I tried a weird whisky yesterday, why not continue with weird stuff. The Campfire definatly qualifies as damn weird. Sweet like a bourbon, spicy like rye and smoky like a scotch. I imagine this is what some infinity bottles taste like. On the nose I get some peaches, vanilla, smoky oak spice and caramel notes. The bourbon dominates most of that. Taste starts rather sweet, caramel notes, gets spicer the longer you taste, with some peaches mixed in there, and then the peat shows up quite late. I get this strange mix of corn notes together with the typical barley notes I get from scotch. Sweet, spicy and smoky aftertaste, doesn't stay very long tho. Fruitier and smokier than a bourbon, milder than a rye, and sweeter than a scotch. Very, very interesting stuff. In my opinion with 81 grossly underrated.

This whisky....it confuses me. Greatly. Because there is one note in there, on the nose and in the taste, that I can't for the life of me identify, and that I never had in any other whisky. Ever. Almost like hot oily bathwater....thermal batchhouses..that direction. Weird. Very weird. But by god this stuff is delicious. I think this is one of the first samples that made me go "I NEED A BOTTLE OF THIS, NOW!". Well...on to notes. As far as I can make out what they are. Nose has some decent smoke, together with that weird sour bathwater pinewood mix and some brine. Definatly something woody in there. Taste starts with smoky saltwater, more of those weird notes, dark fruits, burnt brown sugar (surprisingly sweet...then again, sherry cask...) and....nuts? Macadamia? Sounds about right. Aftertaste is salty, nutty fudge. Amazing. To be honest, Springbank was advertised to me as "like Islay, but doesn't know your safeword". It's actually not that brutal...I'd go so far as to put it above Ardbeg and Laphroaig in my ranking. I think my local store might even have some springbank...not sure if it was the 15 tho, but I'm gonna find out tomorrow. I need more of this.